Hongi Hika's Royal presentation Fowling piece. Maker of the gun.… - Oceanic & Indigenous Artefacts - Webb's

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Hongi Hika's Royal presentation Fowling piece. Maker of the gun. John Twigg (English 1732-1790). Provenance: gifted by King George IV to chief Hongi Hika, 1820. Bequeathed to son-in-law, Hone Hika 1928. Private collection, Melbourne Australia. Gun description. Silver mounted, half-stoked percussion fowler, 16 bore, 36' barrel, stepped lock plate engraved 'Twig'. Hall marled silver furniture by Michael Barnett dated 1782 with acorn finial to trigger guard and engraved butt plate. 'A nineteenth century handwritten label mounted on butt reads- 'silver mounted Fowling piece -originally flintlock given to Maori chief Hongi by geo IV 1820 used in battles against the British by Hone Heke'. Hongi and the young chief Waikato travelled to England in 1820. They were accompanied by a missionary 'Minder' Thomas Kendall who was to play a crucial role in the events that followed. Hongi's primary objective was to procure arms in England with a view to orchestrating a succession of campaigns of retaliation against his foes upon his return to New Zealand. The subsequent series of ' utu ' crusades performed during the years 1821-1826 would be known as the musket Wars. The devastating impact of these battle would dramatically alter the balance of power among the tribes of the North Island. 'Hongi was pleased to be conducted to the armoury and the tower of London. There they were given presents: a helmet for Waikato and a coat of chain mail for Hongi, a gun graven for the occasion for Waikato and two guns for Hongi'. (Judith Binney, the legacy of Guilt: a life of Thomas Kendall, p64-65). The musket gifted to Waikato with its original brass presentation plaque 'graven for the occasion' is now part of the national collection at the Treaty house, Waitangi. For many years historians accepted the traditional mythology that Hongi traded his English gifts in port Jackson prior to his return in order to generate money to purchase three hundred guns and a quantity of powder. However, this view has now been seriously refuted by new evidence of a fortuitous encounter with the young Baron de Thierry plus the persuasive influence of Thomas Kendall which enabled Hongi to implement a plan to secure a large consignment of muskets that were to be delivered to him in port Jackson, Sydney in exchange for promise of a grant land in New Zealand. Research by de Thierry's biographer in 1977 suggests that it was in fact de Thierry who financed the manufacture and delivery of 300 muskets worth 857 pounds to port Jackson. They were most probably consigned in Kendall's name to await collection. Kendall then took delivery on behalf of the chiefs and shipped the guns on to New Zealand aboard the ship, New Zealander. Although neither the chiefs nor Kendall were aware of it at the time, the consignment had not been paid for and it is recorded that de Thierry was shortly afterwards, imprisoned for the debt incurred to the gunsmith. It now appears that it was this deal in port Jackson and not the trade of the gifts acquired in London that facilitated Hongi's accumulation of guns for his 1821 campaigns. It also allowed both Hongi and Waikato to retain their Royal presentation pieces. Despite the gravity of their Regal provenance, the trade of such items would hardly generate the funds required to purchase arms on the considerable scale. Following Hongi's death in 1828 the gun came into the possession of his nephew and son-in-law, Hone Heke. 'Then he bequeathed to his Sons the gunpowder, his mere, his muskets, and most precious of all, the coat of mail that he had received from the King George IV. These were his most treasured possessions – the gifts of the warrior chief!' (Urlich-Cloher, Dorothy, Hongi Hika, warrior chief, Auckland: Viking, 2003 p287). A portrait painted by Joseph Merritt in 1846 depicts Hone Heke flanked by his wife Hariata (Hika's daughter) and Heke's military consort, Kawiti. Heke is shown holding a prominent position, an impressive flintlock fowling piece whic

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Unclassified